Tony Gilroy Lauds His Time Working On Star Wars: Andor

With the end of Andor firmly in sight, the showrunner behind the franchise’s most critically acclaimed Disney+ show is looking back fondly on what he insists is his final adventure in the galaxy far, far away.

The Star Wars franchise is set to return to the big screen with The Mandalorian & Grogu led by Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin in much the same way it stepped into the current Disney+ era. While The Mandalorian did great on the streamer and spawned several shows on the platform in its wake, Star Wars: Andor was the undisputed standout from the entire lineup. Serving as a prequel series to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the show tells its story through the experiences of Cassian Andor. After the massive success of the first entry, a second season was announced to finally link the events of Andor to the start of Rogue One, which showrunner Tony Gilroy confirmed would also serve as the final entry in the show.

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While Gilroy chose to leave the Star Wars franchise after wrapping Andor, citing other projects on his mind and his decade-long time working with Lucasfilm, it doesn’t mean the accomplished showrunner doesn’t know the significance of his work there or appreciate the opportunity. Gilroy recently reiterated his previous insistence on walking away but offered a fond retrospective on his Star Wars experience. “I don’t think I’ll ever have a chance to work on anything as important as this,” he admitted in a new interview with The Playlist. “This has been the most important thing I’ll ever get to do in terms of how much imagination went into it, how much work went into it, how much of a better writer I became doing it, how much I learned doing it, and how important the subject matter was and the scale of it. It’s hard to imagine that a situation like this would ever come around again.”

This declaration is poignant and well-timed, as the one flaring failure of the showrunner’s time within the franchise has been a lack of resonance with fans on a personal level. Gilroy’s work has had an undeniable impact, with some even speculating that Star Wars‘ TV future on Disney+ might be riding on Andor’s final season. However, the unique approach that he chose to take on Andor, paired with the mandate to do away with overt homages and Easter eggs in the show, did little to convey to fans a real passion for Star Wars itself. This sets Gilroy apart from contemporaries like Dave Filoni, who gets a pass on many creative decisions based on his demonstrable love for the franchise. However, it’s plain to see Gilroy’s respect for Star Wars in this interview. Coming from someone who’s been involved with some heavy-hitting projects and will certainly take on some more before he hangs up his pen, the praise he has for his time at Lucasfilm means a ton.

Andor’s biggest sin might just have been raising the bar too high for other Star Wars shows, and it’s hard to hold that against Gilroy and his co-conspirators too much. The show will be fondly remembered, and Gilroy’s rightfully earned place on a pedestal for his work can exist unhindered by any misunderstandings of his relationship with the franchise he impacted so strongly.

Star Wars: Andor is available to stream on Disney+, with the second and final season premiering on April 22, 2025.

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Source: The Playlist